Clothesline reel



Fell 24, 1942- c. E. GoLD'rHwAl-r E-rAL 2,274,139

cLoTHEsLINE REEL Filed June 22, 1959 enfov' CARL E. GOLDr//wA/r Patented F eb. 2`4, 1942 CLOTHESLINE REEL Carl E. Gelathwait ana Walter F. Fritz, Melrose,

Mass., assgnors to Moulton Ladder Manufac-v turing Co., Somerville, Mass., a

Massachusetts corporation of Application June 22, 1939, Serial No. 280,511

(c1. zii-17s) 2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in a clothesline reel and more particularly to improvements in the slider and cap therefor. y

It is an object of this invention to form the slider and cap as metal stampings suitably re- Y 'inforced towithstand the strains to which they are subjected while in use.

It is further an object of this invention to form the slider as a metal stamping with anattachedy following description of a preferred embodiment thereof taken in connection drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the reel;

Fig-2 is a plan view of the slider;

Fig. 3 is a Vertical section on the plane indicated 3-3 in Fig. 2 and including a portion of the post to illustrate the operation of the locking member;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the cap member; and

Fig. 5 is a vertical section on the plane indicated 5-5 in Fig. 4; p

The clothesline reel is the usual type of folding reel and comprises the post I0, a plurality of long arms I2, usually four in number, andra correwith the attached sponding number of short arms I4. 'Ihe arms I2v are pivotally attached at I6 to a slider I8. The short arms I4 are pivotally attachedfat 20 to a cap 22 and are pivotally connected at 24 to the arms I2. The clothes line 26 is strung around the reel through the openings 28 in the arms I 2.

'Ihe slider I8 and cap 422 are novel in design and are formed as stampings from sheet metal instead -of being castings as is customary practice. The cap 22 comprises four radially disposed arms 30 each of which has a pair of depending ears 32 provided with the openings 34 for the pivot pins 20. The cap has an upstanding cylindrical portion 36 adapted to secure a pin 38 which connects the cap to the tubular metal post I0. The upper end of the cap 22 is solid at 40 to form a cover for the open end of the post. In order to strengthen the cap the ears 32 are connected by the depending ribs 42 which result in a channel shaped cross-section of the arms 30 and prevent bending thereof. The slider I8 is generally similar in design to the cap 22 but is used in reverse position. 'Ihe slider has similar arms 44 -provided with the ears 46, a depending cylindrical portion 48 and strengthening ribs 50 between the ears 46 which have openings 52 for the pivot pins I6. The central portion of the slider is stamped out leaving a circular opening 54 adapted to receive the post I0.

One of the arms 44 has a tongue 56 stamped out and provided with an opening 58 to receive a locking` member 60 formed from a rod bent to provide a connecting loop 62 and an extension 64, a portion of ywhich is bent to form the abutment 66. The point or extension 64 of the locking pin is adapted to engage an opening 68 in the post I0 to hold the slider I8 in raised position. The depending sleeve 48 of the slider I8 has a cutout 'l0 ,i to receive the pin to prevent twisting of the slider with respect to the post I0.

There is considerable economy in cost in the manufacture of the cap and slider as metal stampings and furthermore there is a saving in Weight making possible a lightweight clothes reel assembly that can be sold at a lower cost but which preserves the strength and rigidity of heavier, more expensive clothes reels. The lockingy arrangement is simple, can not get out of order and no parts thereof may become lost or misplaced.

We claim:

l. In a clothesline reel of the folding type, a tubular metal post, a cap xed to the top of said post, a slider vertically movable on the post, brace members and clothesline carrying arms pivotally connected to said cap and slider and to each other, said cap and slider comprising metal stampings generally similar in shape, each of said parts being formed with a cylindrical hub portion adapted to engage the post, the hub portion having an outwardly flared portion, a plurality of arms radially extending from the outwardly flared portion of said hub, each of said arms having a pair of parallelly disposed pivot ears extending from the sides of said arms and oppositely directed with respect to said hub portion,

I and annularly curved vertically directed strengthfrom the ared portion 'of said hub, each of said arms having a pair of parallelly disposed pivot ears upwardly extending from the sides of said arms and upstanding annularly curved reinforcing ribs upwardly extending from the :flared portion of said hub in the spaces intermediate said arms, said ribs merging into the inner ends of said pivot ears and said pivot ears extending materially above the height of said ribs.

CARL E. GOLDTHWAIT. WALTER F. FRITZ. 

